For anyone headed to the A-League grand final on Saturday night, here’s a warning: stick around too long after the final whistle and the stadium you leave may carry a completely different name to the one you arrived at.
As of Sunday, Telstra Dome will become Etihad Stadium. This comes just over six years after Colonial Stadium became Telstra Dome. Which itself came less than three years after the stadium opened.
Which is a scary thought, really.
Three different names in the space of a decade is hardly a decent track record. And it seems with each name change, opposition to the concept builds.
Throughout the decade, quite a number of organizations have rebelled against the venue’s ridiculous name game. The ABC, for example, has referred to the ground as “Docklands Stadium” since its opening.
More recently, AFL clubs with major sponsors that rival Telstra have been known to refer to the ground as simply “the Dome.”
But this latest change has managed to irk a much larger stakeholder – the AFL itself. The league refuses to recognize the Etihad deal.
The official line is that the AFL wants to protect its own sponsor, Qantas. Yet the league’s biggest club, Collingwood, is sponsored by Emirates.
Figure that one out.
For a more accurate reasoning behind the league’s steadfast opposition, one must look no further than the legal stoush between the AFL and stadium management.
The two are headed for the Supreme Court over a range of issues – naming rights being just one of them – with the AFL primarily seeking better venue deals for its clubs.
Current arrangements make it hard for Melbourne-based clubs to compete with others that have far more friendly deals.
“From our perspective, we will call it Telstra Dome or Docklands Stadium until this issue is resolved,” chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan told the Herald Sun this week.
“We would be very keen to reach an agreement but the ball is in their court.”
The official 2009 fixture refers to the ground as Telstra Dome. The League also reportedly sent a memo out to its clubs urging them to not acknowledge the Etihad moniker.
Given the fear over the viability of clubs like the Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne – both Dome tenants – the AFL is right to push the issue. By not recognizing the Etihad deal, they will be rocking an already-shaky boat. Because as it is, with parties divided over the name change, fans would be forgiven for not knowing what to call the venue in 2009.
The sign out the front will say Etihad. The AFL will say Telstra. Certain clubs will call it “the Dome.” Other factions will stick to “Docklands.”
Right now, there is no clear frontrunner for what supporters will call the place from Sunday onwards.
It’s one thing for organizations such as the ABC or the AFL to rebel against naming rights, but will the wider public join in, too?
Sheer confusion may be enough to force their hands.
Adam Pearce
Guest
Call it docklands it means something i like the name its quality onya Aunty for call it as such its one of the things i like about Aunty keeping all the old non-commercial names.I'm an South Aussie and Amy stadium is still footy park to me and always will be.
Michael C
Guest
Jimbo - apparently negotiations keep breaking down - - but, everytime it gets reported and Qantas again gets a mention re the AFL and Emirates re Collingwood - - as the alternate sponsors to Etihad - - well, that means that on one level the AFL and Collingwood administrations are doing their job!! The chances of a nice neat and tidy resolution???
jimbo
Guest
MC, not sure how that's going to work where the Stadium naming rights are concerned because that's a done deal and the AFL will have no recourse. Might just refer to the perimeter signage on match day to accommodate the sponsors of the "home" team.
Michael C
Guest
The H-S reported that the AFL right extends to the AFL, which claims its user agreement gives it the power to veto the naming rights deal.
Michael C
Guest
There is supposedly a clause in the AFL contract with Docklands that "decrees that it must be asked for approval before naming rights are granted". The AFL seemingly is extending that right. But - - certainly, it's part of a general stauch with Ian Collins and Docklands. There'll be plenty of sabre rattling yet. In 16 years the AFL win when they assume ownership of the venue. In the mean time, the lawyers may be the only winners. However, the AFL DID beat theAge and H-S in the courts over naming players with 2 strikes. And those media outlets still haven't forgotten nor forgiven. Sometimes being legally in the right, a lot like a cyclist in traffic - is not enough of a guarantee of a worthwhile 'win'.
Albert Ross
Guest
I suppose they could turn it into a Mosque...
BigAl
Guest
Collingwood don't play their home games at Docklands not because of anything discussed here, but because they need the 'G' to accommodate the crowd . . . & the MCC needs Collingwood ! Collingwood will play away games at Docklands.
jimbo
Guest
The stadium management signed a deal with Etihad before the handover to AFL and the AFL commissioners went over the contracts with a fine tooth comb and they knew very well what they were getting into, so waste of time and money going to court. Just PR sabre rattling by the AFL because of a few disgruntled AFL diehards, which seems to be the Commissioners preferred modus operandi these days. Yes, Collingwood won't play there because of Emirates and Qantas have also complained because they are a rival airway, but the deals done – get on with it and get used to the Etihad signage all over the ground and the outside walls because its already been paid for with a lot of Arab oil money.
Dave
Guest
FMN My tickets for Sat night say TD...but on Ticketmaster website now its referred to as Etihad.
Forgetmenot
Guest
What will the tickets for football matches say? Telstra Dome????
BigAl
Guest
Everyone here seems to be ignoring the elephant in the room - and thats money !!! I can't think of any sporting organisation in Australia that doesn't need more of it - if the people who run the joint can get an extra couple of miill. by calling it Campbell's Soup Bowl or whatever then good luck to them ! Personally, I always refer to it as Dockland's Stadium - everyone knows what I'm talking about - and it's always going to be situated at Docklands.
Benjamin Conkey
Editor
Yeah as Brett said the ABC are not supposed to name anything, which is why they refer to the Ford Ranger cup as just Domestic four-day cricket and in the Johnny Walker Classic last weekend they just said 'now to the golf' on Grandstand. But getting back to your article..it is a ridiculous situation. Maybe in future it might be called The Docklands Etihad Telstra Dome. But Melbourne fans will prob continue to just call it the Dome. This is one for administrators to work out.
Papa Romeo
Guest
The ABC sticks with Docklands primarily because of their obligation to be seen as non-commerical. They do it for all the other 'branded' sports grounds. Whatever the reason, I applaud and universally adopt this approach myself and encourage everyone else to do the same. I've never called the SFS anything else, that big thing where they had the Olympics is Homebush (or maybe the Olympic stadium if I'm feeling verbose) and Docklands is exactly that. And how dare a company stomp over the aura of the iconic Lang Park, how DARE that name be booted from our sporting lexicon by a bloody cheque book! There is no way I am supporting that extravegent disregard of the passion that name used to invoke (and I am a thru-and-thru Blue who's never been to the joint) by muttering the name of the corporate in question. As far as I'm concerned, if these complanies want me to utter their name in incidental conversation, thus advertising their brand, they can damn well pay me for the privilege.
Lindommer
Guest
"Three different names in the space of a decade is hardly a decent track record. And it seems with each name change, opposition to the concept builds.' We can match that in Sydney with the stadium at Homebush. In the past it's been called Telstra Stadium and Stadium Australia before earning its current moniker, ANZ Stadium. There's another stadium in Sydney, at Moore Park, which hasn't suffered as many names; it was and is now Sydney Football Stadium, but it went through a stage of Aussie Stadium for about four years. During the Rugby World Cup in 2003 we successfully confused visitors by having Aussie Stadium at Moore Park and Stadium Australia at Homebush. Madness. The ABC has always referred to the stadium at Homebush as the Olympic Stadium. If it's confusing for Melbourne locals to get their heads around the stadium formerly known as Docklands, how're interstate and overseas visitors going to find it?
Brett McKay
Expert
Michael, I can appreciate the complexities in this affair (for eg, it's not just 'Docklands' that the ABC refuse to acknowledge or mention corporate naming rights), but is the average punter really going to give a bugger what the stadium's called??